Truck driver sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling $1M in meth he was never paid for

A truck driver was sentenced to two years in prison this week after attempting to smuggle contraband into Canada. 

The sentence was handed down on February 24th for the September, 2025 incident in St. Clair County, Michigan. 

According to Detriot Free Press, truck driver Syed Shah agreed to meet another truck driver at a gas station in Memphis to pick up what he believed was Shisha tobacco, which may not be legal to transport according to the other driver. Shah was later stopped at the border after being followed to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron by law enforcement. A drug dog then alerted to contraband and $1 million in meth was found inside of the trailer. 

Shah agreed to transport the cargo for a fee to help him pay his mortgage and a business loan he was struggling to keep up with. Shah has no prior criminal record. The other driver, Navjot Singh, has not yet been charged. 

“The federal judge carefully considered that Mr. Shah did not know the type or the quantity of drugs that were placed in his truck. He accepted responsibility for attempting to transport what he believed was a tobacco product,” Shah’s attorney, Sanford Schulman, said in an email to the Detroit Free Press.

“This case highlights the efforts high-ranking drug dealers will go to find unsuspecting truckers to carry packages across an international border that they themselves would never attempt. Mr. Shah never received any compensation. He is a father of three young children, no criminal history and he received a master’s degree in English while residing in Canada. He was literally involved for less than one hour and his poor decision to allow the transport of the items in his truck has deeply impacted his family.”

“In the scheme of drug trafficking, Syed represents the lowest hanging fruit.” said Schulman. “Like many ‘mules’ in the drug trade, Syed knows little about the intricate details of the drug trade. This was, of course, intentional. His job was simply to drive and take directions.”

Shah will serve two years in prison.